


There's been a murder

by Caesar_salad



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Detective AU, F/M, Gift Exchange, I dont know ill add more tags later, I wonder who could have did it?, I'm shitty at tags I hope you like it, M/M, OC detectives, Oh no Alex has been murderd, Super rich Eliza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:27:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12343602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caesar_salad/pseuds/Caesar_salad
Summary: The title says it all...





	1. The Press Conference

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ashilrak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashilrak/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy!!! Happy gift exchange day!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I wrote this for the gift exchange! I really hope you enjoy reading it. I know I enjoyed writing it!

The room was silent as a portly detective stepped up to the podium. All eyes landed on him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

 He had never really been good at these types of things. Should he express deep sympathy for the family (After all, a person had been murdered) or only speak facts, giving the reporters exactly what they came for?

He looked behind him at the police crest on the wall and reminded himself of the true task at hand. In this moment he was just the messenger, no more, no less.

He gulped down whatever jitters he might have had, cleared his throat, and spoke into the news outlet microphones.

 “Hello, I am Detective Beckett.” He chose an authoritative tone, something that didn’t leave room for question when he spoke. “I along with my partner Detective Warne,” He gestured to the corner of the room where a woman with short hair stood giving him a reassuring look. “will be the investigating officers on the murder of Alexander Hamilton.”

The crowd of reporters broke into a murmur. Beckett tightened his grip on the podium as he remembered: _He controlled the room; he was the one with the information everyone was waiting to hear_. The detective broke the murmurs with his voice as he looked down at the paper on the podium and began to read the facts.

“The deceased was found earlier this morning. He was pronounced dead on scene. We believe he was murdered anywhere between 6 pm to Midnight, Wednesday evening.” He gained more confidence looking back up at the crowd who hung onto his every word.

 “He suffered a fatal close-range gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, but there were signs of asphyxiation on the deceased. We believe this strangulation was done by the assailant; there were also signs of a scuffle at the crime scene.”

He looked back down at his paper.

“The deceased, Alexander Hamilton, valiantly served in the Army in his youth and dedicated his time to serving and representing the people of New York as an Assistant District Attorney. He leaves behind his wife, Eliza Schuyler.”

The name of the widow alone caused a stir amongst the crowd of reporters. Detective Beckett broadened his stance and straightened his back before he leaned in and said the words everyone in the room had been waiting for, “I’m now opening up the floor to questions.”

It became open season as reporters jumped out of their seats vying for his attention. Some yelling his name, others did not even bother to wait their turn, yelling out questions they were dying to get answers to.

He let the noise wash over him as he looked at the confirmed list of which news sources to take questions from.

“Denise from the Tribune,” He pointed to a reporter in the front

“How are the Schuylers handling this?”

Ah yes, the Schuylers.  He had known this would become the topic of discussion. The family practically ran New York. The patriarch of the family was the sitting Governor, but the family had garnered such wealth and affluence over the past century that they were practically New York royalty and along with it came royal like fanfare.

“The family is mourning, and has offered full cooperation in the investigation.”

He answered a few more questions, most had to do with how the Schuylers were handling the death, but what more could he say. The middle darling of the Schuyler sister trio was now a widow, how else would the family be responding?

“That’s all the questions I am taking. As you know this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot release any more information at this point, Have a good day.” He walked away from the podium as the crowd erupted again, reporters yelling out in a last-ditch attempt to get their questions answered. 

As Beckett walked toward his partner, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I hate these things,” He grumbled to his partner as they moved toward the exit.

“It comes with the job, it sure beats being the victim.”

“True” He chuckled, “But this qualifies as a high-profile case and those can be tricky. Where do we even start?”

She laughed, “You start where anyone would start,”

Beckett gave his partner a questioning look.

“The wife.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess we know where their first stop will be....


	2. The Widow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Nice to see you again:)))  
> When the text is in Italics it means the person talking is telling the detectives an answer... but through a flashback. Hopefully, it's not too confusing:))

When the detectives pulled up to the Schuyler home, the door was already waiting open with a puffy-eyed Elizabeth Schuyler standing at the forefront. Her face was gentle and soft, not a hair out of place or a button undone. She somehow managed to even carry sorrow with a dignified grace. Always the well-mannered lady she welcomed both detectives into her home.

“Hi, I’m detective Warne. We spoke on the phone earlier.” She recalled as she shook Eliza’s hand.

“You must be detective Beckett, from the press conference,” Eliza said acknowledging the man next to Warne. Beckett nodded giving a soft smile.

“We both offer our condolences,” Warne said stepping into the house; it was simply immaculate.

“Thank you,” Her eyes glazed over as if the mention was another reminder of the reality of the situation, but she snapped out of her glassy stare, “Could I offer you something to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee?”

“Coffe-” Beckett felt a jab in his rib from his partner,

“No, but thank you for the offer. I was hoping we could talk, and, if you didn't mind, my partner could look around where ever Alexander spent most of his time in the house”

Eliza gave a compliant nod, “Of course, my Alex spent most of his time in his study,” She gestured to a room down the hall while leading Warne to the living room. Warne watched as her partner disappeared into the room before taking a seat next to Eliza on the white suede couch.  

 “We want to thank you for volunteering to talk to us, we know this must be hard for you,”

The woman gave a delicate nod and looked down at her fingers to distract from the tears welling in her eyes, “It is. It doesn’t quite feel real yet, but I want to help in any way possible,”

The detective gave a reassuring look before going into her first question, “How and when did you first meet Alexander?”

_It was long into the evening at the gala. Eliza sipped daintily on her champagne, using her sister next to her as a cautionary tale of what too many glasses could result in.  Peggy, who already had one too many drinks that evening, tipsily rambled on and on. Eliza soon tuned her out, as she let her eyes wander through the sea of elegant gowns and tuxedos looking for Angelica or at least anybody she knew, but she was met with unfamiliar faces. Where had Angelica gone off to? Eliza searched around again, as Peggy continued to ramble. She suddenly felt a cold wet splash hit her mid-drift and turned to see that Peggy had sloshed her wine onto her dress._

_“SHIT! Shit! Shit! I’m so sorry!” Peggy giggled, her reaction delayed, making no move to assist her sister. Eliza felt her blood boil a little but reminded herself of her current surroundings._

_“It's fine, just stay here,” she huffed and made her way to the bar. She was sure club soda would do the trick. People made way as she walked through the ball. Men and women alike offered her friendly grins and compliments. She was almost to the bar when she felt a familiar hand pull her in the other direction. Eliza let out a yelp but instantly calmed when she realized the hand belonged to her sister._

_“Alexander, this is my sister,” Angelica said boastfully to the man standing next to her. Eliza’s manners kicked in almost instantly as she offered out her hand_

_“Eliza Schuyler,”_

_“Alexander Hamilton,” The man said, He had a confident yet courteous stare and a warm grin that followed suit. She had been expecting the man to give a handshake, but instead, he took her hand in his and gave it a light kiss. His lips only grazed her hand for a millisecond, but the spark she felt resonated all the same._

“So, your sister introduced you?”

“Yes,” Eliza smiled, almost fondly, at the memory.

“How did she know Alexander?”

“She had met him that night at the gala”

“Did Alexander have any family?”

_It was past closing time for the rooftop restaurant, but when had restaurants not made exceptions for New York royalty? Eliza couldn't stop staring at Alexander over the candlelight that shone in the night. Their plates had long been taken away, but Alex seemed just as invested in the conversation as when they had begun. It was a marvel to Eliza, and any bystander, the way he hung onto every word she spoke. He looked at her like she was the brightest star in the night sky, and each word she spoke he absorbed like gospel._

_“...But that's enough about me,” Eliza said looking at Alexander. She blushed when she realized the intensity in which he had been listening. Now it was her turn to reciprocate, to understand him, to drink his knowledge like a well, “Tell me about yourself, Mr. Assistant District Attorney, what's your family like?”_

_She watched as his face stilled over the light of the small flickering candle. She couldn't read the expression; it was a mixture of hesitance and worry, but he spoke anyway._

_“I was born in St. Kitts,”_

_“Oh! that sounds nice,” Eliza had known the island from her family’s vacations to the Caribbean when she was young. She could picture it now: A young Alexander running on the beach, eating mangos and bathing in the sun-_

_“It wasn’t.” He said, the pain of the memory showing on his face, “We were poor. My dad left, and my mom got really sick and died when I was young.” He looked up at Eliza her features ever so delicately shone in the faint light. He tried to read her expression before he kept going, “Me and my brother came to live in the states, with a cousin in Harlem, but he overdosed. We ended up in foster care.”_

_Eliza looked down at her hand, trying to find the positive, “Well what does your brother do?”_

_“No idea, we were separated in foster care.”_

_“Oh,”_

_“It’s a lot to take in” Alexander admitted reaching across the table for Eliza’s hand. It was soft and warm, somehow it felt like comfort, “I don't really like to talk about it. I like to think about the life I’m building,”_

“None?” Warne asked.

Eliza shook her head, “The closest thing he had to family was his friend John, John Laurens. They met while serving. He was Alex’s best man,” Warne wrote that down on her notepad.

“Did it ever strike you as odd, that Alex didn’t really have a past before serving in the Army”

Eliza thought for a moment, “No,”

“How long had you two been married?”

“3 years, together for 4,”

“So, you could say, it was a fairly quick marriage?”

Eliza looked down at her hands before she took a deep breath, tears threatening to come to her eyes, “I know everybody thinks he married me for the money and the family name …” She gained more conviction in her voice, “I promise you it is not the truth”

Warne tried to hide the shock from appearing on her face, “Of course! I never meant to insinuate such things, had you noticed anything different about Alexander?” Eliza picked up a glass of water from her coffee table and took a long sip as she thought. “Did he seem worried? Maybe working more?”

“He was always working, it was just the way he was,”

“Did he seem jumpy or paranoid?”

“Maybe a little occupied by his thoughts,”

“What did you know about his job?”

An embarrassed blush rushed to the widow’s cheeks as she looked down at her hands, “Not much, I never really asked, sometimes he would tell me about his cases…. I know that he was planning to run for District Attorney. I told him that with my family behind him, he was sure to win. He said something about how he needed to clear the air first,”

“What do you think he meant by that?”

“I have no idea,” she sat the glass back down and picked at her nail.

“Was it common for your husband to work late nights?” The detective moved the questioning along.

“Yes, if not in the office then in the study, but he always stayed late at the office on Wednesdays,”

“That's specific. Do you know why Wednesday?”

Eliza shook her head again. It was becoming ever so clear to Warne that the socialite was kept in the dark about her husband’s work. The detective nodded slowly, “Did your husband have any enemies, at work maybe?”

Eliza looked down searching her thoughts, “One time he had mentioned something about a coworker…Burr, I think, he said something about betrayal.”

The detective jotted that down before taking a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, we have to ask everyone this, where were you this Wednesday between 6 pm- 12 am?”

“Home, Alex had actually come home at a normal time that night; he seemed normal. He was in his study. Then he said something came up at work, He told me how much he loved me before he left,” She held her hand as if it were the tangible memory. A sob tore through her sentence, “that was the last time I ever saw my husband alive.” A tear fell down her cheek. 

Warne reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue to offer Eliza just as her partner exited the study.

 “Again, I am so sorry for your loss. You'll be the first person we contact when any leads are found.” She handed the woman her card

“Thank you,” Eliza said gently getting up from the couch.

“We can see ourselves out,” Warne said sweetly, as she bid her final farewell to Eliza. Warne closed the door behind her, partner by her side.

 “Did you find anything in the study?”

Beckett shook his head, “What about with the interview?”

“I don’t think she did it”

He cocked an eyebrow,

“What?”

“I know I was only in the room with her twice for about 2 seconds, but something's off about her?”

“She’s grieving.” Warne defended.

“Really? Her husband died 2 days ago and all we got was one tear?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Beckett!!! Hasn't anyone ever told you different people display grief differently? Maybe Eliza's tear ducts are just really strong? Maybe she's all cried out for the day? Maybe she was just trying her hand at acting? Only one way to find out...


	3. The Betrayer

“So, we need to look into this Burr guy,” Detective Warne said walking up to her partner's desk.

“One step ahead of you. I looked up people named Burr who use to work in the DA’s office and Aaron Burr is our guy,” He declared proudly.

“Do we know what this betrayal is about?”

“According to the records, it looks like he left the DA’s office to be a defense attorney,”

“That’s all?”

“Court records show that Hamilton and this Burr guy have gone head to head in court a few times.”

“Maybe they were rivals in and out of court?”

“Well let’s find out,”

* * *

 

 Walking into King and Associates Law Firm was like walking into a lion’s den. Everyone had the same demeanor and razor-sharp focus on whatever task they had at hand. It created organized chaos as people raced back and forth and loud phone conversations spilling out in the halls. The tension in the workspace was like a rubber band pulled to its limits, any second it might snap.

They were led back to the office of Aaron Burr by the receptionist.

His office was different, it was oddly calm. Where the tension had been almost palpable just outside his office door, the office served as almost a haven from it. Aaron rose as they walked in, offering a hand to each detective.

“Hi, I’m detective Warne, and this is my partner detective Beckett,” The woman spoke, “We want to thank you for squeezing us in. We understand you are a busy man.”

“Of course, it’s the least I can do. I don't see how I can be much help though.”

“We’re sure you can,” Beckett quipped, taking a seat. Aaron gave a scrupulous squint at the comment, but it left his face just as fast as it came.

“So, you and Alexander use to work together?” Beckett asked

“Yes, we worked at the District Attorney’s office together,”

“Was that the extent of your relationship?”

“We went to Law School together, and we were public defenders in the same district,”

“Would you consider Alexander a friend?”

Burr paused for a second, “We were not on the best of terms before he…. passed, but I would still consider him a friend”

The detective looked at him carefully, “Elaborate.”

“One thing you have to understand is that the District Attorney’s office isn’t as clean as you think.”

Both detectives gave a raised eyebrow.

Aaron sighed, “It’s corrupt and Hamilton and I both knew it”

_The caseload of a rookie Assistant District Attorney was brutal. All the work of a public defender, but now he was somehow supposed to win every case. The amount of papers on his desk was enough to give anyone a meltdown. He took a deep breath in and out and counted down 10…9...8…7…-._

_“Burr!” A disheveled Hamilton barged into his office; he looked how Aaron felt tenfold. His dark hair greasy at the roots, tie loosened, shirt wrinkled, sleeves pulled up, and bags under his eyes that looked like pits of death._

_“You look like hell, Hamilton,” Burr said._

_Alex shook off the comment, “Yeah, Yeah, whatever!” He had a file in his hand, and his eyes looked as if they had struck gold, and learned a grave fate all at once. “Do you ever wonder why the mafia in this city never get prosecuted? I mean the police do bust after bust and yet only 5 mafia members have gone to jail in the past 5 years.”_

_Aaron looked over at the clock on his desk. It was only 11 am how did Hamilton already look like he’d been raked through the coals of hell… “Hamilton, did you stay here overnight?”  he asked with genuine concern._

_“You’re not listening,” Hamilton gasped._

_“The DA never has enough to make the cases stick,” Aaron responded just to humor whatever tangent Hamilton was on._

_Alex held up the folder in his hand, “No! The DA is fucking taking bribes”_

_“What?” Maybe Alex was becoming delusional? “While you were here did you get any sleep?”_

_Alex shoved the open file in his face. Aaron read what was there; it was irrefutable evidence. How the hell did Hamilton even get his hands on this?_

_“Ok so now what? Why are you showing me this?” Aaron said looking up in disbelief from the folder._

_“We gotta blow this thing wide open, show everyone how fucked up this office is”_

_“Wo, Wo, Wo! you just got this information,”_

_“So?!”_

_“Maybe it might help if you just sat on this for a little bit…”_

 

“So, Alexander had proof that the DA office was corrupt?”

Aaron nodded,

“Do you know what he did with that proof?”

Aaron shook his head, “No, I left before he did whatever he had planned for it”

“So he had a plan?”

“When Hamilton found out that the DA was corrupt he was livid. He was going to burn the DA office to the ground with the information; I told him when he did we were going up in flames with it. Somehow, I managed to get through to him that day, but Hamilton could never just drop a crusade.”

“You know when we ask about you, the word betrayer came up. Do you know why?” Warne asked. She swore she saw the man roll his eyes at the question.

“Alex realized what he had found was just the tip of the iceberg, and he made me promise that I would help dismantle the corruptness little by little. He knew he couldn't do it alone, and I think he wanted to run for DA one day, and this wasn't the office he wanted to inherit.”

“Where does the betrayal come in?”

“Well, I left the DA office,”

 

_“You can’t be serious,” Hamilton said bursting into his office door. It was clear he had been roused up by something, but by now Aaron had become accustomed to Alex barging in rant already in tow._

_“About what?” Aaron didn’t bother looking up from his work._

_“You're leaving to go to another firm?”_ _Aaron stilled.  How had he found out about that? He had just handed his 2-week notice to his boss this morning and he hadn’t even told anyone in the office yet,“I had to find out from some whispers near the water cooler!”_

_Aaron had forgotten just how fast office gossip managed to travel; it never ceased to amaze him._

_“It’s not that-,” Aaron opened his mouth in defense._

_“We’re supposed to be a team!”_

_“It’s not like-,”_

_“And you’re going to go work for King and Associates, they defend murders and rapists!”_

_“Look I never said that I-,”_

_“What happened to being one of the good guys?!”_

_“Look, at least what I’ll be doing over there is legal.”_

_“Not at King and Associates, they represent scum”_

_“Look, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Aaron tried to joke but Alex just scoffed, anger and disappointment written all over his face._

_Aaron sighed and looked down at his desk, “Look were working here on borrowed time, this place is a scandal waiting to happen. King offers me better pay and better cases, and I know you wanna run for DA someday. I don’t want that; I want to make senior partner at a firm, make good stable money,”_

_“This is good stable money!”_

_“This place is a powder keg! Theo’s pregnant and I need some sort of security!”_

 

“So Alex was angry with you?”

“At the time yes, I was his only ally in the office. He wasn’t really sure who else he could trust with the information he found other than me.”

“Do you know where this evidence is now?”

“Only Hamilton knew, I’m sure he kept a backup of the file somewhere. I didn’t want to know where it was, plausible deniability.”

“Did you ever see Hamilton after you left the DA office,”

“Every now and then I would see him in court, he was cordial,”

“Every now and then?”

“Yeah once a month at most 3 times, I still can't believe he’s dead…”

“Where were you Wednesday night between 6-12”

“At home with my wife and my newborn”

The detectives nodded “Did Alex have any enemies you knew of?”

Aaron let out a sardonic laugh, “Hamilton was the type of person you either loved or hated, no in between.”

“Where did you fall?”

“It really just depended on the day, but as far as work enemies went, I would definitely say Thomas Jefferson. But I don’t think anyone at the DA’s office is capable of murder.”

“You never know what people are capable of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The detective's right. You never really know what people are capable of? Aaron was pretty capable of spilling all the tea on the DA's office, and I'm sure your capable of clicking that next chapter button:))


	4. The flash drive

Detective Warne raced across the office building with no regard for anyone in her way. She needed to find Beckett; the suspense was killing her.  She had instantly run to his desk and was met with nothing but an empty chair. Since then Warne had been almost everywhere in the building and still hadn’t found him. Why were her detective skills failing her now?

“Have you seen Beckett?” She asked one of her coworkers.

“Last I saw him, He was chatting up the Chief’s new receptionist.”

“That sounds about right,” Warne prattled, her feet moving before she could even finish the sentence.

She ran up to the oak doors of the chief’s office lobby and shoved them open to find Beckett leaning against the receptionist’s desk, laughing at whatever joke the new recruit had just made.  The girl broke the conversation and looked at Warne, “Hi, do you have an appointment?”

“I won’t be needing one,” She grabbed Beckett by the jacket sleeve and pulled him out of the office.

“Hey! What was that for?” 

She stood excitedly in front of him and pulled a small evidence bag out of her pocket.

“This better be good.”

“I have a feeling it’s something better,” She quirked her eyebrows.

“Okay, you’ve got my interest, what’s in the bag?”

“A flash drive,”

 “Ok? … a flash drive? ...You do know this is my lunch break?” Beckett complained.

Warne rolled her eyes, “The medical examiners found it in Hamilton’s sock,”

“His sock? …. So, he was trying to hide this from somebody?”

 “My thoughts exactly,” she ran to the nearest computer she could find, took the flash drive out of the plastic bag, and plugged it into the computer.

 “Maybe whoever killed him wanted the flash drive?” Warne speculated as she clicked on the icon in the lower corner of the screen.

“Okay, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s see what’s on there first,” Beckett said as the contents of the flash drive popped onto the screen, three untitled files. Warne took it upon herself to click on the first one.

A plethora of scanned documents and emails popped onto the monitor. Warne scrunched her brow at all the documents; it all just looked like basic work stuff to her.

“Holy shit!” Beckett whispered in disbelief, as he continued to read the screen.

“What?” Warne snapped her head over to look at her partner; he looked as if he just hit the jackpot.

“This is the proof that Burr was talking about! Click on the other files,”

Warne quickly minimized the first screen and clicked on the second file, a picture popped on the screen.  This time neither detective was met with confusion about what they were seeing. It was a picture of Alexander, taken through blinds. He stood in his boxer briefs, in what looked like a hotel room, kissing a man.  She continued to click through the photos, each one getting lewder until Beckett turned away from the screen. Warne let her jaw drop.

“That was something I didn’t need to see!” Beckett said trying to erase the image of the Alexander Hamilton and….

“Who’s the man?” Beckett asked still turned away from the screen. Warne studied the image,

“I don’t know, but he looks familiar,” Warne still stared at the pictures in awe.

 “What’s the time stamp on that picture?”

Warne looked at the date on the lower right side of the picture, “It says a month ago.”

“So, Hamilton was having an affair…with a man?”

“It appears so,” She scrolled back and forth between the pictures. They were intrusive and taken from a far range, “These were taken by a private eye.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but could you click on the 3rd file?”

Warne minimized the screen and clicked on the 3rd file. Beckett let out a sigh of relief when a typed pdf document popped onto the screen. They both looked over the essay.

 

“ _The man depicted alongside me in these photographs is Judge George Washington. My wife, Eliza Hamilton, and I engaged in sexual relations with the aforementioned. Judge Washington and I then proceeded to carry out a yearlong affair unbeknownst to my wife…._ ” Warne read aloud.

Now it was Beckett’s turn to be confused, “I don’t get it?”

“It was a confession,” Warne said trying to put the puzzle pieces together, “Alexander wanted to run for D.A.”

“Ok?...”

“And his wife said something about him wanting to clear the air…” A light bulb went off in Warne’s head, “ Hamilton was going to release this before he ran.”

Beckett’s look still didn’t change, “I still don’t get it, why would he do that? That would ruin him”

“It’s convoluted I know, but to him, it was the best thing to do”

“Who told him this was a good idea?”

“I think the question we should be asking is, under what circumstances would this be a good idea? What would drive a man to confess his sins?”

“Maybe we’ll gain more clarity when we give this to digital forensics”

* * *

 

  
“Forensics came back,” Warne said sitting down at Beckett’s desk.

“What’d they say?”

“They were able to identify who took the photos; a guy named Benedict Arnold.  He’s a freelance private investigator, and when we reached out to him, he told us who hired him: Elizabeth Schuyler.”

 “Hell, hath no fury like a woman scorned,”

“Well, that's not all, they combed through the bribe documents and some familiar names popped up.”

“Who?”

“The office enemy, Thomas Jefferson"


	5. The Coworker

Warne and Beckett stepped into the DA’s office. It was a place both knew well, but now it seemed different. They walked through the halls with a new sense of awareness and tapped on the office door of Thomas Jefferson.

            A tall muscular man answered the door, a charming smile plastered on his face. Warne felt what tension she had walking into the District Attorney’s office melt away upon meeting the man.  

 “How can I help you?” Jefferson said with ease, sitting down in his desk chair.

“We’re the investigating officers in the murder of your coworker, and your name came up during the investigation,”

Something in Jefferson’s eyes dropped but his charming smile stayed intact. He quirked an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair, “How so?”

“We’ll do the questions,” Beckett retorted, he didn't find the grin quite as soothing as his partner. “How would you describe your relationship with Hamilton?”

“We were coworkers, plain and simple,” Thomas stated, before turning to Warne, “you have lovely eyes”

“Really?...thank you” she giggled back. Beckett looked at the scene in disgust. What was it about this man that made his partner forget that this was a murder investigation?

Beckett cleared his throat, “That’s all? Because we hear that you and Hamilton were known to argue?”

“Look we weren't each other's biggest fans but we coexisted,” Jefferson said nonchalantly, not taking his eye of Warne. She grinned nodding with perfect understanding, While Beckett scoffed at the scene in front of him.

“Until he found out you had been taking bribes” Beckett abruptly stated no longer wanting the charade to go one.

A flash of something sharp and dangerous appeared in Jefferson’s eyes, “I don’t know what you're referring too,”

“Cut the act. we have proof that you were taking money to throw cases, and Hamilton knew it too.”

Jefferson studied the two officers carefully before he spoke,

_Jefferson left the judges chamber with a weight lifted off his shoulders. He had just been able to get a defendant to sign a plea deal, for what would have been an otherwise challenging case. If the rest of the day followed suit it might be a good day. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Hamilton. Maybe he had spoken too soon._

_“What do you want Hamilton?”_

_“Your help.”_

_“And why would I do that?” Thomas dismissed him and began toward the door. He knew this conversation was going to do nothing but annoy him. Hamilton walked next to him._

_“I know you're taking bribes,” That stopped Thomas in his tracks, Hamilton shoved a piece of paper in his hand with a smug look on his face_

_“Where the hell did you get this?”_

_“I notice things,” Hamilton said almost pridefully, “I want to expose the DA, so I can have a clean office when I run.”_

_That might have been the stupidest, most self-destructive thing he had ever heard.  This information was nothing to be toyed with._

_“1. Why would I help you do that? when you expose the DA I go down too,” Jefferson violently whispered, he searched around making sure no one was around to hear, “2. Hamilton this is way deeper than the both of us, you’re going to get us killed!”_

_“It’s the right thing to do, God Jefferson, have some integrity,”_

_Jefferson looked at Hamilton with narrowed eyes, he really didn't understand that this wasn't something to play with. This went past integrity and led its way into survival, but of course, Hamilton couldn’t see that. Thomas needed Hamilton to drop this, for everyone’s sake.   “Integrity,” He laughed sardonically, “You know I’m not the only one who notices things. I see the way Judge Washington looks at you in court, and I’m pretty sure the reason you leave work early every Wednesday isn’t to rush home to meet your wife,” Thomas took a step closer to Hamilton, “How would your wife react when she finds out? How would the press? you'd be demonized for hurting the favorite Schuyler sister, and run? after that? You wouldn’t stand a chance in the polls.”_

_The reality began to dawn on Alex._

_“You keep your mouth shut, and I’ll do the same,” Jefferson spat walking away._

“So, you knew about the affair?”

“Hamilton was horrible at keeping it a secret, He was always in Washington’s chambers.”

“So, you killed Hamilton to stop him from exposing the truth?” Beckett slid in.

“What!? No, I just warned him. For his own protection really. The last time I saw him, was that Wednesday evening, I was leaving work and he was coming in.  He seemed off; he kept clutching his neck. I told him to destroy the evidence. If the wrong people found out what he knew, he was going to get himself killed.”

 


	6. The Black Widow

“So, the wife knew about the affair? This changes everything,” Warne said looking at the pictures on her desk.

“This gives her motive,” Beckett added.

“If she knew about this, who knows what else she knew about? she played dumb when I asked her about Hamilton’s work life.”

“Maybe she knew about Hamilton’s plan,”

“Only one way to find out.”

* * *

 

 

 “Have you made any new discoveries?” Eliza asked the detectives as they stepped into her home for the second time; she looked just as pristine as before.

“Something like that.” Beckett quipped.

“Oh ok,” Eliza said delicately, “Please, take a seat,” She had a genuine look of worry and hope in her eyes.

“We just have a few follow up questions,” Warne sat on the suede couch, this time with Beckett right beside her.

“Anything,” Eliza said wide-eyed and almost eager to help the detectives. Warne couldn’t help but marvel at how the woman could feign ignorance so well when the truth was known by everyone in the room.

“Can you explain these to us,” Beckett held no punches as he pulled out a printed copy of the photos found on the flash drive.

Eliza took the pictures in her hand and froze once she realized what they were. Panic flashed on her face before her features hardened. The woman opened her mouth to speak but words didn't come, and suddenly silent tears began to cascade down her cheeks as she locked her eyes on Alexander in the photo.    

Beckett and Warne shared a glance as they tried to read the scene happening in front of them.

“Do you want to tell us about these photos?” Warne asked gently.

Eliza nodded, still at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say, “I... I- I don’t know where to start?” She said weakly not letting her eyes off the picture.

“How about at the beginning?”

_Eliza held close to her Alexander as she led him to the corner of the ballroom. They swiveled around men and women dressed in exquisite clothing, intricate masks covering all their faces._

_Eliza had always loved masquerade balls; the thin veil of mystery that cloaked all the guest had always intrigued her. But tonight, she was here for a different reason. This had been an important event for her, a chance to network to get funding for her new passion project. She looked over at her Alexander, she could see that he was a mixture of exhausted and bored._

_All of this was 2_ _nd nature to Eliza, but her sweet Alex hadn’t yet become accustomed to this lifestyle, even if it had been 3 years since he was indoctrinated into it. She knew he tried his best; He put on a charming smile with all the guests that she mingled with and laughed at just the right times._

_He was such a good boy tonight and Eliza planned to reward such good behavior. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a server nearby and took a large gulp, before pushing Alex against the wall._

_She kissed her Alexander with abandon, not caring for modesty at the moment and bit down on his lower lip as they pulled apart._

_She leaned into his ear._

_“You’ve been so good for me tonight,”_

_Alexander looked at her with dark inquisitive eyes, as he caught his breath. She took his chin in her hand, staring him in the eye. She watched as her Alex hung onto every word._

_“I think my good boy deserves a reward,”_

_Alexander opened his mouth to respond but was met with an icy firm stare, “Did I say you could speak?” Alex immediately closed his mouth._

_“Now, I want you to go out there and choose anyone here that you want, and we can bring them home with us,”_

_Alex’s eyes went wide, “Oh you like that,” Eliza said placing her hand on Alex’s abdomen and let her hands creep lower and lower._

_“Is that something you can do for me? Speak.”_

_“Yes, ma’am.” Alex choked out. Eliza grinned before she pushed him back into the crowd of masked guests._

 “And you brought a man home that night? Was that Judge Washington?”

Eliza nodded tears still streaming, her eyes still locked on the picture of Alexander's face in ecstasy.

Warne leaned forward trying to bring her back to the present, “So, Alex continued seeing him?”

Eliza nodded, “I had assumed whoever he chose had been random, I was wrong.”

“When did you start to suspect that he was carrying out an affair?”

“I’m not quite sure. A woman always knows though, somewhere deep down…. I would have been fine if it had been just sex, but I could tell in just the little things that, My Alexander wasn’t just mine anymore, and then I saw proof.”

_Eliza stepped out of her heels, and let out a sigh of relief. She had known it would be a bad idea to wear them out with her sisters, but hey, you live and you learn. She tipsily fell onto the couch, still giggling at the crazy night she had. She looked up at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter to 3 in the morning; she couldn’t remember the last time she stayed out that late. She didn’t want the night to end…Maybe Alex had come home by now? It was a Wednesday night but he should be home by now. She never knew what time Alex came in, she was usually lost in her own slumber._

_She got up from the couch and headed up the staircase, but then she heard the door open behind her._

_“Alex!” She said spinning around to see her husband; a burst of joy filled her as she ran over to him. There was a brief look of shock on his face; maybe he was excited to see her or maybe it was the sheer fact that she was still awake. She chose to think he was just excited to see her, as she hugged him a little too tight and nuzzled her face into his chest._

_“Did you change your cologne?” She asked as she breathed in his scent. It smelt nothing like what Alex usually wore. She had just weaned him off Axe Bodyspray and this smelled expensive, “I like it, smells more mature.” Alex pried her hands off of him as he started to move toward the steps._

_“Are you saying that I didn’t smell like an adult before?” Alex joked. He looked uncomfortable, and maybe it was just her, but was Alex moving fast? He was already halfway up the stairs._

_“Wait!” she said and Alex froze statue still._

_“Your collar’s all messed up,” she said hopping up the stairs and fixing it with a giggle._

_That’s when she saw it, a bruise on his neck. She wasn't naive enough to think it was from an injury. It cut through whatever alcohol was in her system and paralyzed her. She didn’t know what to think or what to say, so she just smiled to cover the hurt._

“Did you confront him?”

“I didn’t say anything, I just let him go shower,” her eyes were still glassy, “I felt like my worst nightmare was coming true. I didn’t want to believe it; I couldn’t believe it; it didn’t seem real. I had convinced myself it didn’t happen. But one night I just couldn’t lie to myself anymore and I called the investigator.”

“What did you do once you got the pictures back?”

“I didn’t do anything, I just sat with the information, let it fester. I just needed to know why?” Eliza paused again,

“So, what did you do?” Warne said softly trying to pull the story out of her.

_It was rare, that Alex came home early on a Wednesday. She knew he was with that man, and it burned deep. She had taken to drinking on those days._

_She was almost done her first bottle of wine when Alexander came through the door. Part of her felt shock, part of her felt glee, and the other part questioned why he was here? Had he finally got tired of that man?_

_She got up from the seat and greeted her husband with a kiss. It came naturally and for a moment she allowed the kiss to deepen. It had been so long since she had Alex all to herself and it felt comforting until she remembered this wasn’t her time, it was designated for someone else._

_“why did you come home?”_

_“I wanted to be with my wife,” Alex said kissing her again. He tasted like office coffee, and he smelled like himself, not thick expensive cologne. She felt herself loosen up in the comfort of his touch. It had been so long since Alex held her like this._

_She pushed him down onto the couch, and Alex looked up with those wide brown eyes she loved. But there was a pang in her chest, it was the knowledge that someone else had loved those same eyes._

_She felt herself grow angry; all she could think about was Why? Why had Alex run into the arms of someone else? Why had he left her neglected, made her feel as if she wasn’t enough? Why would he carry on this lie?  Had everyone been right? Was he just after her money? She just wanted answers. She slid her hand down his chest and began to unbuckle his belt._

_The words of Angelica popped into her head, “A man like Alexander knows what he’s doing, the only way you’ll ever get the truth is when he’s at his weakest moment.”_

_She wanted the truth; she wanted him helpless. She palmed at his dick through his underwear and let him grind into her touch. When the first moan left Alex’s lips, she pulled her hand away with a seductive grin. Her hands wrapped around the leather belt and slid it from Alex’s waist._

_His eyes darkened, at the reminder of the what they use to do. She took the cool leather and pressed it up against his neck. He moaned at the tight pull and began to touch himself._

_She held tight on the leather strap as he stroked himself, she could see he was close, and when, “Oh God,” fell from his lips with ecstasy, she pulled on the belt with all her might._

_“Red” he choked out using their safe word._

_“Why?” It was the only thing that came to her mind as she saw red rushing to his face, hands clawing at the leather belt._

_“Red!” This time it sounded fainter._

_“Why are you still with that man? I have the photos of you two together,”_

_Alex's eyes widened, as he let adrenaline take over, using all his strength to push away. He fell to the ground before scrambling off the floor to his feet, gripping the bruised area around his neck._

_Alex opened his mouth to speak but was in shock. He looked at her in disbelief, and she swore she saw him mouth the words "sorry," as he pulled up his pants and ran out the door._

“That was the Wednesday he was murdered?”

Eliza nodded.

“You’re the reason he had the strangulation marks on his neck”

She nodded again.

“Why did you lie to us the first time?”

“I knew how bad it would look,” she said tears streaming down her face, as she bordered on hysterically crying.

Warne felt a pang of sympathy in her gut, While Beckett stared at her coldly.

* * *

 The detectives walked out the house, neither one knowing how to feel about the information they just heard. Warned look distantly back at the Schuyler home.

“What are you thinking?” Beckett asked his partner

“That there’s a lot more to this case than I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S IT!!!! I wonder who did it!? So many loose ends!!!!  
> If you made it this far I just want to thank you for reading this:)) this was my first multi-chapter fic, I might do a sequel if anyone likes this. I originally had a chapter for John and Washington, but they got cut because I'm terrible at time management :((  
> Have a great day:))))))

**Author's Note:**

> Bother me anytime on Tumblr Url: Shooturshot


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